I visit Australia frequently and I have been told you can purchase decoder cards that will work in nzApparently people that holiday around the country in caravans buy them (where there is no signal)Has anyone had any experience with this ?

The decoders and cards are hard to get because you need subscription from an Australian address and you need a really good large dish to receive it. There is an older encrypted service that is easily received with ch7 and sbs that will close down next December.

Map: I visit Australia frequently and I have been told you can purchase decoder cards that will work in nzApparently people that holiday around the country in caravans buy them (where there is no signal)Has anyone had any experience with this ?

If you've got a fairly recent Sky dish on your house (with the oval LNB), then you'll be able to pick up Australian Channel 7, and SBS1 with a suitable set top box. These channels are part of the Optus Aurora service which will be shut down at the end of 2013 and are encrypted.

You will need a set top box which can decrypt the signal (software or Aurora card). These set top boxes can often be found on TradeMe (search for Aurora amongst TV section).

Although Aurora is a DTS service (digital), it isn't HD and the channels are broadcast 12:9 aspect ratio. The service is being replaced by something called VAST, which Australian viewers are encouraged to switch to. Unfortunately we would need 2 meter dishes to receive VAST in NZ.

Ive got a large 3.7 aluminum dish I got off the roof of the Riverhead pub, can scan in the C1 transponders without problems when Sky aren't using the same sat for their feeds/uplinks causing interference. Foxtel help channel comes in loud and clear at around 60% snr on a vu+duo. 7 Central constantly sitting on 99% snr even in very heavy rain due to it being on a dual AU/NZ beam.

gareth41: Ive got a large 3.7 aluminum dish I got off the roof of the Riverhead pub, can scan in the C1 transponders without problems when Sky aren't using the same sat for their feeds/uplinks causing interference. Foxtel help channel comes in loud and clear at around 60% snr on a vu+duo. 7 Central constantly sitting on 99% snr even in very heavy rain due to it being on a dual AU/NZ beam.

7 Central comes in loud and clear on a standard 65cm Sky dish. If you can lock onto the C1 transponders broadcasting the AU beam, then why not get hold of a VAST STB (try Ozzie Ebay).

Getting good reception of the Vast channels is a really worthwhile project.At present I receive SBS from Optus Aurora but when Aurrora closes at the end of 2013 I will want an alternative.I realise that large dishes are expensive and ugly but when you consider that you could be using it for 10 to 15 years I believe it is a good investment to be able to get the quality programs that SBS and ABC broadcast.There is no proplem in taking a trip to Australia to buy a Vast box and registering it under an Australian address.I wish you well with this project and look forward to hearing how you get on, i.e. can you get all the Vast channels reliably?We need more people like you who are prepared to give it a go and experiment!Cheers!

gustov: Is VAST transmitted unencrypted so that no subscription card is required?

Or is it like Aurora C1, which whilst free to air, still requires an Irdeto card?

encrypted and requires the original box with card, ie you cant take the card and use it in a third party receiver. A friend of mine is actually organizing with a mate in aus to get an austar box sent over.

gustov: Is VAST transmitted unencrypted so that no subscription card is required?

Or is it like Aurora C1, which whilst free to air, still requires an Irdeto card?

encrypted and requires the original box with card, ie you cant take the card and use it in a third party receiver. A friend of mine is actually organizing with a mate in aus to get an austar box sent over.

There are currently 4 VAST STB's being advertised on www.ebay.com.au from AU$265.Ideally you want a second hand box with a card that is already registered.Like Aurora, VAST does require a card, but it also has to match the STB. Like Aurora, there is no monthly charge.If you can receive the signal it would be worth asking if they will ship to NZ.

You might struggle to get a VAST box in Brisbane. VAST is aimed at the outback market and the point of the cards is to restrict access by region. They want to force viewers to watch terrestrial freeview where available so that (for example) when Australia are playing South Africa in a cricket match at the Gabba - you can't watch it on free to air TV in Brisbane - whereas you can watch it on free to air anywhere else in Australia. As far as I can tell it's all about forcing people to turn up for Test Matches!

Can you please tell us more about your friends 4m dish and set-up.Like what type of dish is he using ,lnb and what Vast channels he can receive?Thanks.

I know the guy through work. He has a setup in the lower north island with a 4m fibreglass dish. Last I heard, he had "acquired" a box and was receiving all the VAST channels (pretty much the whole of the Aussie Freeview channels). I don't know what LNB he's using, but he's a satellite engineer by trade, so would probably be using a pro LNB with a waveguide matching horn.

The other route, that I was thinking of taking, was the 2.4 solid dish with matching LNB as on jayx.co.nz. It's on their website under "technical articles". They have managed to receive some of the other aussie beam channels on this setup. That might be good enough for VAST.